'Awkward' towns without railway stations

[Bartsimho]

Well Gosport, Wisbech, Ashby, Swadlincote, Midsomer Norton are all the usual ones, some of which had stations before Beeching cuts or WWI. Now Halesowen has to do with Old Hill, Midsomer with taxis to Bath or Frome, Ashby to Burton. Wisbech but more likely Midsomer is the furthest from a station to my knowledge.

On Swadlincote I think it's a proposed site if the Ivanhoe line gets passengers back. Although then it would be Gresley officially.

Probably cost efficient if the whole line gets service not just on it's own

 

[Buzby]

IIRC, Stranraer Town was originally a through station on the line to Portpatrick. The Cairnryan Military Railway diverged from the main line at Castle Kennedy, several miles to the East of Stranraer at the end of the short double track section from Dunragit.

Nope - and the mapping doesn’t support this either. The Town station had 4 terminus platforms - it was effectively in the middle with a right divergence heading north to the harbour and a left divergence going south to Portpatrick. I cannot find any maps showing the Cairnryan Jcn but as this would have been classed as ‘sensitive’ it’s not surprising it’s not shown, as it’s west of Dunragit but much closer than Castle Kennedy, apparently it was at Lime Kiln, a few 100 yds from the Harbour Jcn - however, with talk of passenger numbers reportedly falling off a cliff for southbound travel from Girvan, I wonder if the costs of keeping even this part of the line open will reach break-even? I’m all for supporting its retention but it must be at risk in the long term? Moving the station (and end of line buffers to a single platform in the town might restore confidence?

 

[BeijingDave]

On Swadlincote I think it's a proposed site if the Ivanhoe line gets passengers back. Although then it would be Gresley officially.

Probably cost efficient if the whole line gets service not just on it's own

How would the Ivanhoe line work in reality? The maps I see seem to suggest it would require a new curve to be built south of Leicester, or a turnback?

 

[Magdalia]

Warwick University*, a small town in itself, could probably easily support a station at Gibbet Hill if situated just slightly closer to the railway, given about half of its 'live off campus' students live in Kenilworth and Leamington Spa and those are the places it would be connected to. The bus to Leamington takes about 30 minutes. Onward connections from Coventry to the North West and Leamington to London for a huge number of students.

When I was at Warwick transport provision was very poor, so I have done the walk between the campus and Gibbet Hill many times to get the Midland Red 517 bus (Coventry-Leamington) that stopped at the crossroads.

It isn't called Gibbet Hill for nothing. The climb from Tocil Brook to the East Site has a height difference of about 25m and we used to allow 15 minutes for the walk. It would take at least 20 minutes to walk from the middle of the campus to the railway line.

I think the bus services are much better now.

 

[SargeNpton]

IIRC, Stranraer Town was originally a through station on the line to Portpatrick. The Cairnryan Military Railway diverged from the main line at Castle Kennedy, several miles to the East of Stranraer at the end of the short double track section from Dunragit.

Nope - and the mapping doesn’t support this either. The Town station had 4 terminus platforms - it was effectively in the middle with a right divergence heading north to the harbour and a left divergence going south to Portpatrick. I cannot find any maps showing the Cairnryan Jcn but as this would have been classed as ‘sensitive’ it’s not surprising it’s not shown, as it’s west of Dunragit but much closer than Castle Kennedy, apparently it was at Lime Kiln, a few 100 yds from the Harbour Jcn - however, with talk of passenger numbers reportedly falling off a cliff for southbound travel from Girvan, I wonder if the costs of keeping even this part of the line open will reach break-even? I’m all for supporting its retention but it must be at risk in the long term? Moving the station (and end of line buffers to a single platform in the town might restore confidence?

OS map from sometime between 1902-1960, showing what is described at Stranraer Station as being on the through route. Perhaps, when the through route was closed, a new station was built?

 

[Buzby]

Stranraer Town opened in 1861, and the Jcn to the Harbour the following year (built by the Portpatrick railway the following year who saw an opportunity to make money - at least in the short term! Station Street as I recall is now in the middle of an Industrial Estate - depending on the period it seems the platforms have evolved somewhat, but still no way for someone to go to the harbour via Town station. It shut after 6 years!

 

[Falcon1200]

Offset by the long-term savings of not maintaining that length of track onto the harbour, and the existing station.

True, although I do wonder what ongoing liability Network Rail would have for maintaining the Harbour station, and the route to it, after the line was diverted to a new Town station.

 

[Bartsimho]

How would the Ivanhoe line work in reality? The maps I see seem to suggest it would require a new curve to be built south of Leicester, or a turnback?

I think any plans do include a new curve but as it's an industrial estate it's a bit easier to get hold of the land.

 

[Buzby]

True, although I do wonder what ongoing liability Network Rail would have for maintaining the Harbour station, and the route to it, after the line was diverted to a new Town station.

Maybe the same liability that befell Craigendoran and Ardrossan?

 

[newguy]

Unfortunately reopening Larkhall-Strathaven would require reinstatement of the large Stonehouse viaduct - of which only the stone piers and abutments remain - plus a thorough refurbishment (probably a rebuild) of the other viaduct just South of Larkhall. Depending on where the new station in Strathaven were to be sited, a new viaduct to replace the demolished one across the Powmillion Burn near the castle might also be needed. The whole scheme would cost billions....which is why the 1990s reopening never progressed beyond Larkhall.

IIRC, Stranraer Town was originally a through station on the line to Portpatrick. The Cairnryan Military Railway diverged from the main line at Castle Kennedy, several miles to the East of Stranraer at the end of the short double track section from Dunragit.

Thanks D6130. I hadn’t realised how much work and money would be involved. I live in Glasgow and love visiting Strathaven. Lovely place. I keeps thinking about moving out there but the public transports not great. The community now has an hourly bus service to Glasgow but a train station would have been ideal!

 

[Bald Rick]

I think any plans do include a new curve but as it's an industrial estate it's a bit easier to get hold of the land.

The plans do not include a curve, nor serving the current Leicester station .

 

[D6130]

OS map from sometime between 1902-1960, showing what is described at Stranraer Station as being on the through route. Perhaps, when the through route was closed, a new station was built?

Yes....that tallies with my recollections of my first visit to Stranraer in the Summer of 1972. The closed Town station - with its single platform and run-round loop - was still extant, with the station building still in use as railway offices. The facilities in the fork of the two lines were the goods station/yard and motive power depot.

Tarporley in Cheshire (population around 3000 and a small market town, recently named by The Times as one of Britain's best places to live). Just that little bit too far from the Chester-Crewe line to make a station worthwhile,

I believe that a study is currently ongoing for the possible reopening of Beeston Castle & Tarporley station, but i can't remember where I read it.

 

[enginedin]

I believe that a study is currently ongoing for the possible reopening of Beeston Castle & Tarporley station, but i can't remember where I read it.

More than a study - it's been approved: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-67274902

 

[Haywain]

Dunstable in Bedfordshire is one of the largest towns in the country without its own station. Not likely to get one now that the trackbed is a busway either. At least it allows fast access to Luton station.

 

[Titfield]

The biggest town concept may be the easiest way to describe the issue but perhaps not the most accurate. The real issue is the biggest population that is the furthest away from a railway station. As @Haywain points out upthread Dunstable does have fast access to Luton Station.

 

[Bald Rick]

More than a study - it's been approved: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-67274902

AIUI it was rejected in the Restoring Your Railway programme.

Even if it has been ’approved’ - which would be an entirely political decision - it will only be for the feasibility stage.

 

[lachlan]

The biggest town concept may be the easiest way to describe the issue but perhaps not the most accurate. The real issue is the biggest population that is the furthest away from a railway station. As @Haywain points out upthread Dunstable does have fast access to Luton Station.

Biggest population farthest away could be Fraserburgh and Peterhead? There's nothing particularly awkward about either though. Most of the railway is now a preserved cycleway

 

[dgl]

Chard in South Somerset, decent sized town though close to Crewkerne and Axminster railways stations and would need the line rerouting to serve the town centre, as station at Chard Junction could work but by the time you've travelled to it you might as well have gone to Axminster.

 

[paul1609]

Maybe the same liability that befell Craigendoran and Ardrossan?

Cant imagine that closing Craigendoran was much of a liability. The steamer pier platform although it veered off in to the Clyde was mostly the back edge of an island platform that formed the down line to Helensburgh until that was also rationalised. The solid part of the pier is still used by Network Rail as a PW store.
Probably the most surprising thing for me was that the steamer services survived for long enough for their platform to be electrified
(Its amazing what you explore when youre a young sailor from Sussex drafted to Faslane who can only afford to go home for main leave and the occasional long weekend).

 

[A S Leib]

The real issue is the biggest population that is the furthest away from a railway station

That's more or less the opposite of what my intention of the thread was, which is sizeable settlements just close enough to existing stations for new ones to be harder to justify.

 

[6Gman]

AIUI it was rejected in the Restoring Your Railway programme.

Even if it has been ’approved’ - which would be an entirely political decision - it will only be for the feasibility stage.

Yes, it strikes me that - at best - the Beeston Castle announcement is a "proceed to next stage" rather than a firm commitment.

The business case, detail design and financial package may well derail (sorry!) the whole project.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Newcastle-u-Lyme - closest station was Etruria but now Stoke. It had a station on the Silverdale branch (the truncated remains of the Market Drayton branch) closing in 1964.

The 'Five Towns' of Stoke all had stations - Stoke and Longton only remain. The 'sixth town' Fenton - allegedly left out by Arnold Bennett because his mother-in-law lived there - also had a station.

 

[BwniCymraeg]

Kilsyth in North Lanarkshire is too close to Croy to get its own station, but too far to reach the railway without annoyance for non-drivers. Not as bad as some other examples by any stretch, but I certainly find it awkward!

 

[izvor]

Crook, expanding town, close to Bishop Auckland, track still down part way. Study under way I believe.

 

[enginedin]

AIUI it was rejected in the Restoring Your Railway programme.

Even if it has been ’approved’ - which would be an entirely political decision - it will only be for the feasibility stage.

That BBC news article is only 3 weeks old, the last RYR document I can find is from June (which indicates Beeston has made it into "Ideas Fund 2") - although maybe there's something more recent I don't know about?

 

[The exile]

Midsomer Norton with taxis to Bath or Frome,

Why not the bus? 5 an hour the last time I looked - and including the BR double arrow on the destination “blind” at that!

 

[Bald Rick]

That BBC news article is only 3 weeks old, the last RYR document I can find is from June (which indicates Beeston has made it into "Ideas Fund 2") - although maybe there's something more recent I don't know about?

“ideas fund 2” was just the second round of projects granted money a few years ago to do the initial strategic business case work.

All three rounds completed that work, thr latest around a year ago.

 

[Statto]

Leigh, the nearest station is Newton Le Willows, although the railhead for Leigh is Wigan.

 

[AHBD]

Probably money - the town station was a terminus (a bit like Inverness) so it was easy to bypass with 2 junctions the first to service the Cairnryan Military Railway - which linked with the Port before being abandoned and the second to the nearby harbour which home to BR’s Sealink (later Stena Line). There was a third junction to the original port of Portpatrick but this was abandoned in preference to the more sheltered Stranraer at the bottom of Loch Ryan. It’s reason to exist being questioned by the complete run down of the facilities with next to no freight and a single overgrown platform that requires anyone arriving there to walk the full length of the pier to reach the town or bus/taxi stop for a connection to the relocated ferry 4 miles away.

I doubt the Scottish Govt would consider the change as (1) Foot passengers are a minority, both P&O and Stena Superfast are fully RoRo capable (2) Even if a case could be made to support a slimmed-down ‘Town’ station the line south of Ayr (when operational) takes a slow and circuitous route over the hills and is single track until it joins the final segment of the ‘Port Road’. Linking Carlisle, Dumfries and Newton Stewart with Stranraer, the closure of this meant (3) even fewer railway users heading to Stranraer. With the bus from Ayr through Girvan to the town easily beating the the train - if not in convenience it certainly does in time, and is well patronised.

Would it not be cheaper to just build a simple halt/station, still placed in the harbour area, but just before (west of ) the bridge under the A77 road?

 

[SargeNpton]

Would it not be cheaper to just build a simple halt/station, still placed in the harbour area, but just before (west of ) the bridge under the A77 road?

But who owns the harbour pier at Stranraer? If the underlying structure is not railway property you are dependant on someone else to maintain it, and to hope that there is no argument over access rights a few years into the future.

As the land for the former sidings adjacent to Station Street is still Network Rail property that would seem to be the ideal place to build a new station and accompanying car park/bus stop. A couple of hundred yards less of track/signals to maintain, and less likely to be affected by storms/waves coming up the loch.